Senate tentatively approves budget, 19-12 (UPDATE)

The Texas Senate took minutes to tentatively approve a proposed $176.5 billion, two-year state budget Wednesday in a party-line 19-12 vote, steamrolling Democrats who said it cuts back crucial services while leaving billions unspent in the rainy day fund.

Senate Republicans said the proposal is the best they can be offer to preserve priority spending in the face of a mammoth revenue shortfall and demands that Texas preserve its savings account for future needs.

The budget proposal would spend $12 billion more than a barebones House plan but still cut current expenditure levels by $11 billion, or 5.9 percent.

Cuts are being made because the state faces a shortfall estimated at $27 billion through the next two years when taking into account the amount needed to maintain current services.

Lawmakers also are looking toward so-called non-tax revenue to help fill part of the gap.

But disagreement over one proposed tool, another potential $3 billion dip into the rainy day fund, helped cost the measure the two-thirds vote that normally is required to bring a bill up for debate.

Ogden got all 19 Republicans in the 31-member Senate on board when he stripped the rainy-day contingency from the bill, but he lost any Democratic support.

So Republicans bypassed the two-thirds tradition, using a Senate rule allowing House bills to be brought up with only a majority vote in certain circumstances.

The unusual move came as the end of session nears May 30 and after nearly two weeks of closed-door negotiations following committee passage of the measure.

UPDATE: The final Senate vote on the budget, after hours of speeches, was 19-12.